1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to subsurface gas production. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention concern a natural gas well unloading system that unloads liquids from the well to permit enhanced production of natural gas.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
Hydrocarbon wells often are configured for primarily producing natural gas. Wells typically include a casing that extends from the surface to the bottom of the well bore. The casing includes a perforated area positioned next to the subsurface formation. The perforated area permits fluids to flow from the formation into the casing. While natural gas is able to pass from the formation into the casing, liquids are also permitted to pass into the casing chamber. Liquids can accumulate at the bottom of the well bore so that the liquid column blocks the perforated area and restricts natural gas from passing into the casing chamber. Natural gas recovery systems that remove well liquid to improve the production rate of gas are known in the art. For instance, it is known in the art to use a beam pump with a mechanical plunger that is slidably received within a tubing for removing well liquid.
Prior art liquid unloading systems and methods are problematic and suffer from various undesirable limitations. For instance, beam pumps are often too expensive to operate, particularly for marginal gas wells and for wells that produce small amounts of liquid. Furthermore, beam pumps do not adjust to variable environmental conditions to optimize gas production. For example, hydrocarbon fields often have many wells that tap into the same field, and each well can impact the environmental conditions experienced at other wells.